Get Your Game On at RI Youth Substance Abuse Training

On May 2, the The Rhode Island HIV Prevention Coalition is sponsoring "Got UR Game On?," a one-day conference and training on improving communication with young people about sexual health and substance abuse issues.

The conference and training are designed for educators, social workers, health care providers, counselors, faith leaders, community leaders and others interacting with young people ages 11-24.

Rhode Island First Lady Stephanie Chafee will deliver opening remarks, and Cynthia Rosengard, Ph.D., from Brown University will deliver the keynote address. She will speak on "Contexts of Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Relationships, Substance Abuse, and Life Transitions."

There will be an expert panel regarding community efforts to address sexual health and substance abuse. Panelists include Kobi Dennis of Project: Night Vision; Deborah L. Perry, president and CEO of the YWCA of Rhode Island; and Beata Nelken, MD, a family practitioner at Thundermist in Woonsocket.

There will also be training sessions available. Kobi Dennis will present on lessons learned from working with youth; Stump Olsen, of Rhode Island YouthWorks, will present on communications strategies with LGBTQ youth; and Diane Logan, PhD, from Brown University will provide training on motivational interviewing skills.

The Rhode Island HIV Prevention Coalition (Source:Facebook)

The coalition has applied for education credits for physicians, nurses and social workers for the event. CE approval is pending. The Rhode Island HIV Prevention Coalition is composed of stakeholders committed to ensuring HIV prevention remains a public health priority.

To register, attendees should send a $20 check to Youth Pride, 743 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903. Online registration is available at http://tinyurl.com/p6v8e44

Got UR Game On?" will be held from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, May 2 at Roger Williams University’s Baypoint Inn and Conference Center, 144 Anthony Road, Portsmouth RI.

Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women’s news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she writes about local restaurants in her food blog, http://brooklyniscookin.blogspot.com/